Litter decomposition experiments
Referring to the methods described by Jiang et al. (2021), leaf-litter
decomposition rates were measured using a laboratory microcosm
experiment under standardised conditions (i.e. decomposability). A total
of 60 microcosms (15 species × four replicates) were set up. Each
microcosm was constructed using polyvinyl chloride pipe (10 cm in length
and 8 cm in diameter) and homogenised fresh soil (100.002 ± 0.003 g)
plus oven-dried leaf litter (2.000 ± 0.0002 g) per species. Leaf samples
were placed on the soil surface and separated using a nylon net (7 × 7
cm, 1 mm mesh). These microcosms were incubated in the dark (25 ± 0.02
°C, 70 ± 5% humidity) throughout the experiment. They were watered with
distilled water (once every two weeks) to maintain soil moisture at 60%
of water-holding capacity throughout the incubation period. Each
microcosm was covered with a perforated adherent film to reduce humidity
loss while allowing gaseous exchange. After a 12-wk incubation, the
microcosms were disturbed, and the residual leaf litter was carefully
picked up using tweezers, oven-dried at 60 °C, and weighed to determine
the mass loss (ML).